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Maynooth University

Spanish & Latin American Literature

The Higher Certificate in Spanish Literature has been developed by the Department of Spanish, School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, National University of Ireland Maynooth to address the needs of those working or wishing to work as teachers of Spanish, graduates of Spanish exploring other career options as well adults with a very good competence in Spanish language who are interested in learning more about the literature and culture of the Spanish-speaking world.

The Higher Certificate in Spanish Literature aims to provide students with an opportunity to specialise in the area of Spanish literature through the study of a broad range of Spanish-language literary texts from the Latin American and Spain; equip students who have little experience of dealing with literary texts with the necessary academic, analytical, creative, aesthetic, reflective and presentation skills to enable them to engage with literature in a productive way; enhance students' knowledge and understanding of important concepts of the literatures, cultures and societies of the Spanish-speaking world.

Entry requirements

Applicants should normally have obtained an honours degree (extending over at least three years) in which Spanish was a major subject amounting to 30% of the credit value of the course as a whole. Applicants who do not possess this type of qualification may also be admitted under certain circumstances, provided that they have Spanish language competence of at least level B2 (European Framework of Reference for Languages). Prospective candidates should contact the Programme Director for advice on their eligibility for the programme. Applicants must have a recognised primary degree which is considered equivalent to Irish university primary degree level.

Minimum English language requirements:
• IELTS: 6.5 minimum overall score
• TOEFL (Paper based test): 585
• TOEFL (Internet based test): 95
• PTE (Pearson): 62

Maynooth University's TOEFL code is 8850

Duration

MHZ54 1 year or 2 years Part-time

Careers or further progression

The Higher Certificate in Spanish Literature enables graduates working as Post-Primary language teachers to engage with a substantial body of literature through the medium of the foreign language. The course would furthermore constitute an ideal starting point for further study in literary and cultural studies, including the NUI Maynooth's M.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies and the M.A. in Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures: Narratives of Conflict.

Further enquiries

PAC Code MHZ54

The following information should be forwarded to PAC, 1 Courthouse Square, Galway or uploaded to your online application form:

Certified copies of all official transcripts of results and copy of degree parchment for all non-Maynooth University qualifications listed MUST accompany the application. Failure to do so will delay your application being processed. Non-Maynooth University students are asked to provide two academic references and a copy of birth certificate or valid passport.

Subjects taught

The Higher Certificate in Spanish Literature is a part-time programme that will be delivered in an open learning format incorporating distance learning and intensive workshops. It comprises a set of four 5-credit modules on which students will be examined by continuous assessment.

9 x 4-hour workshops 36 hours

Planned home-based learning activities 88 hours

Independent student activities 144

Total 268 hours

There will be a 4-hour introductory workshop at the start of the course. Each 5-credit module will also involve two 4-hour module workshops as well as ongoing scheduled activities and independent study. The nine workshops, normally organised on Saturdays, will provide an opportunity for participants to familiarise themselves with a variety of approaches to the literary text, to present and discuss their ideas about the texts they have read at home and to critically reflect on the way in which literature both reflects and feeds into issues of relevance to the societies in which the authors are writing.

There are two options for completing the Higher Certificate in Spanish Literature:
• a 1-year part-time option, where students complete two 5-credit modules each semester and
• a 2-year part-time option, where students complete one 5-credit module each semester.

Before registration for the 1-year part-time programme, students should agree a study plan with the Programme Director.

Comment

Maynooth University is one of the main centres of research in the study of modern languages, literatures and cultures in Ireland, offering MA programmes and MLitt and structured PhD studies in each of the constituent disciplines. In addition to French, Spanish, German and Chinese; Dutch, Portuguese, Catalan and Breton are taught in the School. The SMLLC offers personal supervision and teaching by renowned experts in a wide variety of fields, innovative areas of research and a lively intellectual environment.

The Spanish Department is very research-active and has a number of international research collaborations with institutions such as the GREP (Grup de recerca en entonació i parla) at Universitat de Barcelona and the Hispanic Research Center at the University of Arizona. Spanish and Latin American Studies provides a supportive, stimulating environment to MA, MLitt and PhD students with an interest in Spanish and Latin American literature and culture, translation and linguistics. We welcome applications from students who have research interests in these topics, as well as Applied Linguistics, Argentine Literature and Argentine crime fiction, gender, Women's literature and popular culture, Latina/o culture, and Latin American cCinema.

Assessment method

Assessment Procedure

Participants will be expected to attend all course workshops, to prepare for those workshops by reading prescribed material, and to participate fully in the group process and learning. All four modules involved in the Higher Certificate in Spanish Literature will be assessed by continuous assessment, which may involve a combination of methods such as essays, presentations at module workshops, reaction papers, or critical analysis of short excerpts from text. Participants will be advised on how to prepare for these and will receive feedback on their progress throughout the course.

Application date

All applications should be made through the PAC system.

Closing Date : 30 June 2019

Course fee

In general, there are two levels of fees payable. EU students from EU countries including Ireland pay a subsidised level of fees for both taught courses and research programmes. Tuition fees for students from outside the EU are not subsidised and are thus somewhat higher than for EU students.